Membership

Being a member of ICBUSA says more about you as a bookkeeper than just being qualified or certified ever could. It demonstrates that you want to be the best at what you do. It shows that you are part of a community of bookkeepers across America and the world that values professional, ethical and moral standards. It proves that you have made a strong ongoing commitment to your profession.

ICBUSA provides levels of membership that recognize your educational achievement, work experience and your place within the profession.

Being Recognized

ICBUSA membership demonstrates a commitment to the bookkeeping profession. ICB members are expected to maintain their skills throughout their career through annual CPE targets and active participation in the organization.

Becoming a member of ICB is like joining a community; with strong on-going professional support, unlimited technical, legal and tax advice (coming soon), and exclusive discounts on business and personal shopping.

Regular local events and the online forum make it fun and easy to meet other bookkeepers, make friends, and stay motivated.

Membership Benefits

ICB Membership Levels

• Certified ICBUSA MasterBookkeeper (FICB)
• Certified ICBUSA Member Bookkeeper (MICB)
• Certified ICBUSA Associate Bookkeeper (AICB)
• Certified ICBUSA Bookkeeping Technician (CBT)

ICBUSA awards the title Bookkeeper with Practice Licence to Members and MasterBookkeepers who have completed advanced qualifications in bookkeeping and written and passed our comprehensive exam. The designation demonstrates competence and provides a reliable benchmark for businesses, government, and the public.

Becoming a Member

Experienced bookkeepers and beginners alike have the opportunity to join ICBUSA, based on qualifications and/or experience. Beginners can gain experience as a Technician (CBT) or as an Associate (AICB). More experienced bookkeepers can become a MasterBookkeeper (FICB) or a Member (MICB) based on their existing qualifications and experience. Click the button below to find out how to become a member of ICBUSA.

Become a Member of ICB

Development

ICBUSA members are encouraged to develop as bookkeepers as well as members, through a compulsory program of Continuous Professional Education (CPE).

Message from the President of ICBGlobal

"As I see it, ICB is very much like the USA – strong, innovative, entrepreneurial and leading from the front. Both rely on the strength of their people.

ICB is not just about paying a fee and wearing a badge:  It’s about being the best: It’s about showing that you are serious about what you do; it’s about commitment; it’s about putting as much in as you get out; it’s about being judged against international standards but working to local needs; it’s about standing up to be counted. Above all, it’s about you.

Bookkeeping goes back thousands of years to those very first days of commerce.  Double-entry was formalized by Luca Pacioli in his Summa de Arithmetica in 1494. The original Institute of Bookkeepers was first registered in 1906. Then in the 1970s someone took their eye off the ball and the term bookkeeper lost favor. It was no longer sexy to be a bookkeeper. The problem is that nobody thought to ask the end user; the small business owner who relied upon his bookkeeper to do all the stuff that he didn’t want to do or didn’t have time to learn about. Bad move.

So my wife, June, and I re-launched the Institute and in 1996 changed the name in the UK to The Institute of Certified Bookkeepers. We felt that bookkeepers needed to be Certified to show that they were professionals upon whom businesses could rely. We wanted our bookkeepers to stand out from the crowd and to be acknowledged as better than the rest. I am delighted that the Institute in America, Inc. (ICBUSA) is now part of the ICBGlobal family, which has students and members in 110 countries worldwide. With coverage across Central and Eastern Europe, Asia, Australia, the Middle East and North and South America, ICB has a truly global voice. Above all it's a community. 

So why should this matter to you? If you look at our website; at the faces in the photographs and videos; you will notice something quite extraordinary: You all look the same. Great people enjoying their life, sharing their talent. If you take away the sound or the caption, you wouldn’t really be able to tell from which country they came. You all have a shared vision and purpose. You all believe in what you do. You enjoy your work. And I can honestly say you are some of the nicest and most genuine people I have ever had the pleasure to meet.

Many of you will be parents and, like me, will love it when someone tells you how great your kids are; that your son is “very bright”; that your daughter is “beautiful and talented”. Well to me, ICB members are like my extended family. I love it when someone comes up to me to say that their business just couldn’t function properly without their ICB Bookkeeper. Or one of our members tells me a very personal story about how they turned their life around by becoming an ICB Bookkeeper with Certification and the huge difference this has made to their family and their self-esteem. It really doesn’t get any better than this. I still get a lump in my throat when talking to members at our Annual Summits or at Branch Meetings and reminding them of what they have achieved and of pointing out to them that they are true entrepreneurs. 

Here at ICB we strive to be exactly what we expect our members to be – open, honest, welcoming, professional and confident. Good at what we do.

So that’s it really. I know you share my passion for bookkeeping and I want you to be part of our global community. I hope that you take the time to prove to us that you are good enough to be part of ICBUSA and to earn the title ICB Bookkeeper with Certification. I certainly look forward to welcoming you into ICB."

Garry P. Carter President ICBGlobal

Start your ICB journey today

Become a Member of ICB